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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28507488">where you belong</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/reginaswanmills/pseuds/reginaswanmills'>reginaswanmills</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Walking Dead (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Family Dynamics, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 04:35:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28507488</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/reginaswanmills/pseuds/reginaswanmills</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Dixon family sign reminded them of their motto: it’s not where you come from, it’s where you belong. Because, truly, they all needed to be reminded that they were loved in the family they’ve managed to create for themselves.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Daryl Dixon &amp; Merle Dixon, Daryl Dixon/Carol Peletier, Merle Dixon/Andrea Harrison</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>where you belong</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>modern dixon family au, because i’ve been reading a lot of caryl and mandrea fics lately, and i’ve been inspired. </p><p>few warnings: henry and lydia do not and will not have a romantic relationship in this fic. just forget about any romantic interactions between them. other characters will appear, with families of their own. any other trigger warnings will be put in the beginning of each chapter. </p><p>this is mostly just a prologue.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Dixon family had a motto — hanging above their doorways on wooden signs with silver lettering, gifted by Andrea’s younger sister for Christmas several years back: <em>it’s not where you come from, it’s where you belong. </em></p><p>They all needed to be reminded of that sometimes. They’d all been through tough times, and they’d all felt exiled from their own family; but with each other, they’d created the Dixon family.</p><p>Merle Dixon was never one to openly show his affection. He’d been raised by half a mother and an abusive father. By the time Daryl came around, Merle had known he was going to be a big brother, but he hadn’t exactly been the most welcoming to the world. He often left Daryl to his own devices — too caught up in his own things and the way of neglect — but he’d shown Daryl the way of surviving over the years. </p><p>When their mother died, it was a blessing in some ways, but a tragedy in others. There was no financial income, even if it had been little when she was still alive. She’d still always been someone they knew, even if she wasn’t around or motherly. Merle had disconnected with her before Daryl was even born; but Daryl had a few good memories of her. </p><p>She worked in the diner just off the corner of the town’s Main Street. She wasn’t employee of the month or mother of the year; but Daryl was known to pop in for a free meal every once in awhile. Jessie would give it to him, talk about nonsense things when she was off the wagon, and pretend to care about his school life when she was on it again. </p><p>She claimed that Ernie Dixon — <em>Pops</em>, as Merle so lovingly referred to him as — was the reason for her addiction. Which, in all retrospect, he contributed a crap ton to it; but she still made the choice to stay and use. Ernie himself wasn’t much better. His addiction was cold bottled beer, cherry scented cigars, and violence. The Dixon brothers weren’t unfamiliar to showing up to school with a few bruises, on times they actually managed to show up at all. </p><p>Education wasn’t taken seriously back then; but Daryl had made damn sure it was taken seriously now. All five of his children were going to graduate, and he was going to make sure they studied hard for each test, turned in every project on time, and got the diploma they deserved. </p><p>It was easy with some kids. Sophia was a perfectionist in her own right, and everything she handed in looked way better than anything Daryl had ever handed in to his own teachers. Her handwriting was neat. Her grades were somewhere near the top of her class. She participated in Student Council and the Junior Varsity volleyball team. She volunteered Daryl and his wife for bake sales and car wash fundraisers, and she had more than enough girly teenage friends running in and out of the house all summer. </p><p>Still, that did not mean she was perfect. Nobody was — and Daryl often had to remind her of that. Her sassy attitude wound up getting her into trouble more often than not. She walked around like she owned the house, which they were trying to nip in the bud before it chalked up to an entitled attitude. But, overall, she was a pretty good kid. </p><p>( They all were, really. Some had seen more trauma than others. Sophia had seen her mother beaten by her previous husband. Henry had watched his mother die, and then witnessed his father turning into a raging alcoholic — which hit too close to home for the Dixon brothers. Lydia had witnessed her biological father’s suicide, and then had been taken from her abusive mother; thrown into countless foster homes, leaving traumatic scars that she had yet to heal from. Even Sam, Daryl’s youngest son, had a messed up home life before coming to live with them. )</p><p>For some of Daryl’s other kids, school was a struggle. Lydia had no idea what an attendance record was until coming to live with them. To no fault of her own, she’d been absent for half the year if they’d added all her missed days up. She knew that other kids went everyday, except for weekends, but she remembered not being sent to school by whichever set of parents she had at the time, or being kept home for neglectful reasons. </p><p>Because of that, she’d been held back a year. It matched up with her age perfectly, because she had never even attended kindergarten; but her learning abilities had also been tested. Her reading skills were something she struggled a lot with — which Carol worked with her to correct on a daily basis — and she had a hard time being made to sit there and focus. She had accommodations for testing, but her school’s counselor had only just recently suggested that she get tested for ADHD. She tried harder than Daryl ever had, and he tried to help with his limited textbook knowledge. </p><p>Other kids made it harder for Daryl. Henry, only thirteen, was smart; but he didn’t apply himself. He preferred video games, and insisting he already knew what the teacher was teaching. There’d been a few times where he made them both worry nonstop about an assignment he claimed to not have finished, but he’d turned it in behind their backs and received a good grade on — all seemingly just to work their nerves up, and causing Daryl to ground him for no reason. </p><p>Sam, ten years old and still getting a few color by number assignments for his homework, was only in the fifth grade. Once he reached junior high, Daryl would carefully approach him about the subject of keeping his grades up — because he was a sensitive kid — but neither he nor Carol suspected Sam would have an issue with school work in the future. </p><p>And Ella was only just learning full sentences and how to sneak a cookie from the jar in the kitchen. She was Daryl’s angel baby for the time being; and he took full advantage of the fact that she had years and years to grow up before he had to worry about her with school or boys or friends. </p><p>Education aside, raising five kids was tough. Adjusting to being a family had taken a lot of time — especially when they were just foster parents — but they’d done it. His doubts about being a father vanished when he first signed those papers to be legally named Sophia’s father. </p><p>Carol had been the one to convince him that he was already a great influence in their lives. She was everything he ever wanted; sweet, kind, and patient. She had grown out of that shell her previous husband had forced her into over the years, and she was one of the strongest women Daryl knew. She’d faced her demons head on, confronted her abuser, and was brave enough to put him behind bars for good. She protected Sophia everyday, and grew to love and protect the four kids that came next in their lives. </p><p>Coincidentally, they didn’t come by age. Henry had been the first foster kid they’d taken in. They’d only just applied — and despite being told it could take up to years, Henry was in need of an emergency replacement for the night. The foster home he had formerly been placed at had been shut down; after Henry’s older biological brother had gotten into some rebellious teenager activities with some of the other older kids. He’d only been nine at the time. Carol loved him instantly, because he was a Mama’s boy at first; but Daryl had enjoyed having a son around the house to kick a ball with in the backyard or watch football on the television with. Sophia always hated sports, but Daryl had found other ways to bond with her; through ice cream sundaes and the shopping mall’s arcade. </p><p>After a few weeks of temporary stay, his social worker had called and said she’d be ready to pick him up the following day to take him to what was supposed to be a ‘<em>more permanent place</em>.’ However, both Carol and Daryl knew, after a few late night discussions in bed and longing glances over the top of the kid’s head, that they wanted Henry to be a permanent part of their family. </p><p>Him and Sophia became best friends instantly. Despite the age difference, Sophia showed Henry where her and the neighborhood kids played hide-and-seek throughout the park. Henry, in return, convinced Sophia to try out one video game with him — which ended up being the only game she’d ever particularly liked. </p><p>His adoption went smoothly. His father’s parental rights had long since been terminated. </p><p>The four of them spent the next eight months as a family — before Sam had come to them. He was only seven, the youngest kid Daryl had ever been a father to before. If they’d thought Henry was a Mama’s boy, they were wrong. Sam was practically Carol’s miniature shadow. He would help her with anything from baking cookies to folding laundry. (That was mostly because he’d been his biological mother’s shadow before, in fear of what his father would do to him or his mother if he wasn’t by her side at all times.) </p><p>Like Henry, they opened their hearts to him immediately. They wanted him to become a part of their family. However, unlike Henry, they had more red tape to trudge through. His father, similarly to Daryl’s two eldest children, was behind bars for abuse and child neglect. His mother, though, still fought for him. She’d spent some time locked away for child neglect, and the child protection services felt that she wasn’t stable enough to have Sam live with her. </p><p>There wasn’t much more information aside from that. All Carol and Daryl knew was what the court told them: Sam’s mother had her parental rights terminated after a long trial, and his father was going to be serving time for awhile. They also knew what Sam chose to confide in them with, but it wasn’t much. He was focused on living a happy childhood with loving parents and two new siblings, and Carol and Daryl wanted that for him. </p><p>He fit right in with Sophia and Henry, and they took him under their wings as a little brother. The family of five stayed that way for almost three years. Just before Sam’s tenth birthday, his former social worker had called to see if the Dixon household could foster another temporary placement. </p><p>Lydia came to them fearful and reserved. She was fourteen at the time, with her walls carefully guarding her. She didn’t say much of anything for the first few nights; but they’d wake up to hear her crying in the middle of the night, probably about nightmares. She was jumpy and shaky, and Daryl’s heart broke for her. </p><p>She was the hardest kid to connect with, but they did not give up on her. It was clear to see she craved parental comfort, but she’d never gotten it anywhere else. The first time Carol tried to comfort her after a nightmare, Lydia nearly karate kicked her in the face, and backed herself into a corner to sob until she’d finally calmed herself down. <em>That </em>had been quite the chaotic night in the Dixon house. Though, Carol did not give up. She kept telling Daryl the same thing over and over: <em>she felt as if Lydia was meant to be their daughter. </em></p><p>Over time, Lydia began to accept their comfort. She realized that they were not going to just toss her back into the system — not after they’d told the social worker they’d wanted her to stay even longer, and most certainly not after they asked if she’d like to be adopted. She realized Daryl was not going to hit her every time she made a mistake. He was going to bring her in for a hug, remind her that she was still a good kid. She learned to trust Sophia, Henry, and Sam. They became her family.</p><p>It wasn’t that long ago that her adoption had went through. She was fifteen now, nearly sixteen; and still had her moments. They all did — even Daryl. But they reminded her, and all of the kids, each and everyday that they loved them. That this family was here to stay. </p><p>Their last child had been the surprise baby. She wasn’t theirs biologically — but the plot twist had been when she was found out to be Sam’s biological sister. His and Lydia’s former social worker had called almost a week after Lydia’s adoption, explaining that Sam’s mother had another child, a daughter. She’d been doing good up until recently, which is when Ella had been taken from her, and placed with them. They wanted to keep the kids together. </p><p>It’d been a hard question to answer. They already had four kids. Carol worked with young kids, teaching kindergartners all day, and Daryl owned half of the mechanics repair shop with his brother. All of their kids already had more than enough issues for them to work through, and required a great deal of attention, which they were more than happy to give. But could they really handle a baby? </p><p>So, they’d put it to a vote. They’d sat all the kids down, asking them how they felt about it — separately, of course, as to not result in anyone feeling pressured. Sam was the first to agree. Despite his mixed feelings towards his biological mother, he wanted his baby sister to come stay with them. Lydia was the next to agree. She didn’t want to cause any problems; but once Carol assured her there would be no wrong answer, she admitted it would be cool to have a younger sister around. </p><p>Henry had his doubts, but was open to it. He was more worried about how it would effect everyone, which is why Daryl proposed that they try it and see how it goes. Sam’s mother’s rights to Ella wasn’t terminated yet. Sophia had taken awhile to warm up to it, unsure of how she felt; but the moment she saw Ella, she squealed and got on the ground to play with her. </p><p>Jessie’s rights still were undetermined, but Ella had already been living with them for nearly seven months — just as long as Lydia had been officially adopted. </p>
<hr/><p>Daryl’s brother, Merle, had a whole bustling family of his own a few blocks over. He’d been married to Daryl’s sister in law, Andrea, for almost thirteen years. Daryl still didn’t know why she ever agreed to go out with an asshole like his brother, but he’d never seen two people love each other more than they seemed to. Besides, they’d made a pretty good family for themselves right from the beginning. </p><p>Their oldest was Lizzie — formally Elizabeth, but christened with the nickname almost instantly. She was the best and worst mix of them both. She had Merle’s stubborn personality, and Andrea’s tough girl attitude. She took her job as the oldest sister quite seriously; protecting them by bossing them around, and sometimes tormenting them in the way that big siblings do, in a way Merle certainly had. </p><p>Their middle child was Mika — courtesy of Merle’s name choice. She was the sweetest little thing that the Dixon family probably had. While Lizzie was twelve, Mika was only ten; but she still fought to keep up with the older kids. She wanted to make everyone feel included, even if that meant dragging her youngest sister along for the ride. </p><p>That happened to be Judith, or Jude. She was eight, and already turning into a miniature Merle. She’d picked up on his quips and comebacks over the years, and never missed a chance to use one — which most often got her into trouble for being a smart-mouth. She was the only one of Merle’s kids to grow up to be a brunette, despite being blonde when she was younger. </p><p>Merle often jokingly complained about being trapped with all the women, but Daryl knew he loved every minute of it. Having a family, being a family man, it gave Merle something to treasure and hold close. It gave him something to hope for, something to look forward to. He was always thinking about the effects his decisions would have now — something the old Merle would have never even considered — and Andrea had played a big part in that. </p><p>They’d met when she was still in law school, studying to become the best damn family courts lawyer this town had ever seen. Merle was still being old asshole Merle, getting into drugs and trouble and whatever other dangerous activities he could find. As fate would have it, they did not meet at any type of law enforcement station; but rather, the bar downtown. She was out with friends, and she’d caught Merle’s eye with the way she danced — is what he’d told Daryl the very next morning. </p><p>They had a flirty, sarcastic banter of their own going for awhile before she agreed to go on a date with him. He found out that her school friends dragged her to the bar every Thursday night to relax from her uptight schedule, and he promised to be there every Thursday <em>just to see her pretty face</em>. He’d gotten the girl, though, so Daryl figured he must’ve done something right. Andrea loved him, faults and all, and she would probably continue to defend him until her very last breath; but she didn’t make excuses for him or his behavior in those defenses. She knew he’d done wrong, a lot of times before her, and she knew some of what he’d done couldn’t be forgiven, but she still loved him and accepted him. </p><p>Andrea was the first to become a Dixon — after Daryl and Merle, of course. </p><p>Before that, she was Andrea Harrison. Before Merle, she already had a big and crazy family. </p><p>Her mother, Deanna, married Hershel Greene when Andrea was a teenager. Hershel already had two kids; Shawn and Maggie, both a few years older than her. Their biological mother had died when they were younger. But, together, Deanna and Hershel had two more kids, giving Andrea two new little sisters; Amy and Beth. </p><p>She’d grown up partially in chaos. A big house, on a farm in the countryside no less, with too many siblings running all over the place. She said it was preferred to the life she and her mother had lived before — with her biological father, who she hadn’t spoken to in years. </p><p>Raising a bunch of little Dixon’s was something she was more than equipped for. However, that didn’t mean she wasn’t exhausted at times. </p><p>She was a lawyer in family courts. Wife to Merle Dixon. Mother to three daughters who kept her on her toes. She and Merle had decided after Judith that they were done having kids, but Daryl knew his brother wanted more. He wanted another baby, watching Daryl with Ella all the time. He wanted a son someday, too; to even out the playing field over there. </p><p>Judith turning eight made no difference in the process. Andrea was as fertile as the dirt beneath them, and Merle had been known for near-pregnancies in high school. Daryl often joked that it wouldn’t surprise him to know there were other little Dixon’s walking around with Merle’s face on them, but that was mostly just for jokes. It riled up both his brother and his sister in law in one go. </p><p>Still, Daryl and Carol weren’t even done the adoption process for their definite last kid. The only difference was that Merle could never adopt. Despite Andrea being a lawyer and all, Merle’s name would raise some red flags. He had a very interesting relationship with the town’s police force before Andrea and his whole band of kids came along. Although he’d proved himself over the years, Daryl knew no adoption agency would consider his brother as a foster parent. </p><p>That seemed to be mighty and fine for him. He and Andrea had good genes, and their babies were always beautiful. </p><p>The Dixon men were family men now. While neither one of them was racing to sign up for the PTA, they both had thriving families with goals and caring and love — and together, they made one huge family. That’s what mattered most to the Dixon’s now. No matter where they’d come from before, they belonged with each other now. </p>
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